FOX 11 News, Feb 23, 2015 (emphasis added): Dozens of dead Sea Lions litter Malibu beaches; families shocked — A family stumbled upon nearly 10 dead sea lions on a Malibu beach Sunday (WARNING: GRAPHIC IMAGES IN THIS STORY AND VIDEO) “We just came down the stairs and little sea lions are being washed on to shore dying,” Neda Soderqvist says… “It was devastating to see a bunch of sea lions just lying dead. It wasn’t one or two it was six or eight,” Soderqvist said to FOX 11′s Christine O’Donnell. The sight was especially difficult for her seven-year-old… “They came up and just died right in front of us,” Isabella said… Earlier in the week, Kristin Thames says stumbled across the same devastating scene… “They’re only allowed to take three sea lion pups because there’s not enough space at the rescue centers for more,” Thames said, “it’s really sad.”

Marin Independent Journal, Feb 21, 2015: “First time in our history that we have had sea lion pups here this early” [said] Shawn Johnson, director of veterinary science at the mammal center… sea lions are a sentinel species, a canary in the coal mine. “They can tell us what is happening in the ocean and if it’s unhealthy.”

Fox News, Feb 23, 2015: A heartbreaking and troubling mystery for the third year in a row… Johnson: “They’re so thin, they’re like 15-16 pounds… they should be 30-40″… Scientists say this year is the worst in history – 10 times the normal number of strandings… Johnson: “It’s obvious that the ocean is changing, and the sea lions are sentinels of the seas. They’re telling us that there are major changes going on out there in the oceans today.”

OC Register, Feb 18, 2015: Nearly 1,000 sea lion pups have been found stranded on the Southern California beaches this year, about five times higher than what caused experts to panic two years ago… Wednesday, centers reported 940 for the year… 196 sea lions were reported stranded along Southern California beaches in by the end of February 2013, the year NOAA declared an unusual mortality event…

La Jolla Light, Feb 17, 2015: Concerned citizens and visitors to La Jolla’s beaches have been excessively calling 911 to report malnourished and dehydrated sea lion pups, reports San Diego lifeguard Lt. Rich Stropky, which is “bogging down the system.”

Geoffrey Melendres, Feb 23, 2015: “I tried to save this one the day before yesterday … but when I looked for it yesterday I found it dead with its grieving momma.”

Unaired footage shows seagulls eating baby sea lions, Feb 15, 2015: “The seagull’s eating it!”